Tuesday, September 20, 2011

My prayers have been answered (that was fast!) I have been feeling so content to sew and create and feel a renewed sense of purpose and inspiration. Great things are in store! I am so grateful, so blessed! I have dreams I am ready to catch!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Oh Spirit, Great Creator, God, Goddess... "to That from which the great creative vibe flows", I ask that you ignite this tiny spark of mine which I am feeling today. It has been a tough year for me creatively and otherwise. I haven't felt "it", that amazing greatness of my creative spirit since last summer. I feel a glimmer now. I ask that you allow this kindling to roar into a burning fire. And while I am at it, can you please carve off these 25lbs I have gained this year as well as help my hair grow faster. I feel fat, ugly, hairless and unmotivated. Dear Jah, please help me to share my creative gift for my patient and loyal fans and customers. They are waiting, waiting, waiting for me to get off my lazy ass and make them cool clothes... Keeping my eyes on the stars...

Saturday, August 27, 2011

…see the whole thing is a world full of rucksack wanderers, Dharma Bums refusing to subscribe to the general demand that they consume production and therefore have to work for the privilege of consuming, all that crap they didn’t really want anyway such as refrigerators, TV sets, cars, …all of them imprisoned in a system of work, produce, consume, work, produce, consume, I see a vision of a great rucksack revolution thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with rucksacks, going up to mountains to pray, making children laugh and old men glad, making young girls happy and old girls happier, all of ‘em Zen Lunatics who go about writing poems that happen to appear in their heads for no reason and also by being kind and also by strange unexpected acts keep giving visions of eternal freedom to everybody and to all living creatures.Jack Kerouac (The Dharma Bums) 1958

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

I am a massive bookworm. Always have been. I just thought it would be fun to share with you what I am reading right now.

"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle - I am really enjoying this one. I read "A New Earth" last year and am rereading it again. I have been practicing meditation alot lately and I find that his teachings are really helping me to deeply understand my practice.

"Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure" by Sarah Macdonald. Getting ready for my trip to India at the end of the year.

"Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman. I haven't started it yet, but I am very excited about this one. I tried to find "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" but they didn't have it at the used bookshop I frequent. I've been wanting to read this for ages!

I guess you can tell by what I am reading that I tend to be a pretty spiritual person. I do not really identify with any one religion, but I do meditate and try to practice Buddhist philosophy. I read ALOT of books about Buddhism.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

I just arrived in Laos after about 21 hours of transport, including an overnight bus ride from Chiang Mai. Every six months or so I have to take this long journey to Vientiane (not sure if that is spelled right - oh well!) to renew my visa for Thailand. "Visa runs" us expats call them. Part of the price we pay for living overseas! So, I've got two days of nothing ahead of me while I wait for my visa application to be processed. I've been to Laos about 4 times now I think so it isn't exactly exciting for me. There is not much to do here but eat and drink coffee. If you are lucky and can afford a room with a TV at least there is some entertainment! Every night there is a market so I will wander the stalls and see if I can find anything interesting. Here is a photo I just took as I am sitting here at a little cafe with WiFi. You can see a little local street food stall across the street there where they sell noodle soups, fried rice and the like. Ignore my lopsided hair, I am working on growing it out...

One of my friends tells me I look like a Monchhichi doll so for your entertainment pleasure, I have attached a picture of one of those as well. Laugh it up. haha.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

This is a question I am often asked: "why did you cut off your dreadlocks?" If you have ever had dreadlocks, you know the burden that they can become. They are heavy, hot and take forever to dry. They stick you in a steriotype, people ask you stupid questions about your hair, and you hear the same questions over and over again like a skipping CD: "do you wash your hair?", "how do you wash your hair", "how long have you had your dreads?" bla, bla, bla... I got sick of answering all the questions, of the steriotyping and the dumbest question of all, every time I would go to a festival "do you deal drugs?" Those are some of the reasons I cut them off. And I was just done. Done with the journey, ready for a fresh start, and to feel the wind in my hair again. Ready to run a brush through it, braid it, be able to wear it up in a ponytail without it giving me a headache.

I still reflect on the journey now, and still I am coming to understand what it meant to me. I would do it again in a heartbeat (and maybe I will one day). I have no regrets. Yes, sometimes I miss them, but it is the past and a lesson in letting go. My journey took me down a 7 year road of natural locks. It was fun to watch how they changed and developed over the years right along with me. SO, without further ado, here is my hair journey in photo's...

2009 getting long...

2010, sitting on the dreadies!

2010, loooong

Jan 2011, dreadhawk. Starting the process of cutting them off...

April, 2011 Cut them all off except for one dreadie. Super cute pixie cut!

May, 2011 Purple Mohawk!﻿ So much fun. I had always wanted to do this! Only had it for two weeks or so though...

The ultimate goal! A shaved head! Didn't get a photo when it was pretty much bald. It grew back suuuper fast! I absolutely have zero regrets. I think every woman should try shaving their head at least once. It is sooo liberating!

Today! I think I've got about two inches of growth going on now. In about a year I should have long hair I can braid again! So looking forward to seeing how it looks as it grows out. My first time ever having short hair as an adult!﻿